We're moving...

... this weekend.

Holy last-minute craziness!

Wish us luck.

PS. Same town, just (much) more south. Souther, if you prefer.

Mommy

Sometimes (okay, often) I wonder if my kids would be better off with another mommy... one that is more patient (or AT ALL patient), one who loves doing kid-crafts and making messes, one who keeps the house cleaner, one who yells less. It's actually a substantial source of anxiety for me. They really are amazing people; they deserve someone amazing in return. I don't feel like that's me almost ever. But then my little Jolie gives me her saved-for-mommy smile, and James snuggles up to me and says, "I love you, momma!" and all of the sudden my doubts disappear. Maybe another mom would do a better job, but I can GUARANTEE you that no other mommy could love my babies more. Ultimately, I hope that matters most. They are the world to me, and I never want to be separated from them. Better or worse, they're stuck with me. Forever.

Note: Pictures taken mid-April.

My Two Favorite Midgets

Sweet, huh?

Additional note: James was holding up a book with his

right hand; that's what they're so engrossed in.

Additional note #2: We had just finished a dual-diapering

session. We really don't just kick it on the changing pad.

My gosh, I love these two.

Good. Morning.

Jolie woke me up this morning at nine o'clock. That's right. Nine. Not 3am, not 5am, not 7am. Nine.

My little girl slept through the night.

I kept her up last night (well, nursed her around seven and let her doze in my arms while I watched Private Practice) since we had had an exhausting afternoon. (Note: If you're interested in talking poop, give us a call. It's been a major focal point of our family as of late.) Then Derek gave her a bottle and put her down at about 10:30pm. She didn't wake up until (yep- you guessed it): NINE. Ah... What a life.

And Jolie isn't the only one on my "I-love-you-so-much-right-now" list. James woke up at seven, apparently. Derek was leaving the house to take his last (this semester) final and says he heard him bumping around in his room about then. But he didn't call my name or bang on the door like he often does to get out (yes, we lock our kid in his room). I didn't hear from him at all until Jolie started fussing. Then I heard a, "Mommy?" and opened his door.

What I found was this:

As much as I hate messes, I LOVE when he gets out all of his toys and just goes nuts. Generally, I wonder if he even likes them. Toy boxes tend to hide more than organize. But he had found his toys and was having a blast (albeit a messy one)... for TWO HOURS! And all the while mommy was asleep! What a good boy.

I really have amazing kids.

I nursed Jolie in James' room while he played even more. He likes me to watch him play. That has worked out nicely, actually. I stressed a lot while I was pregnant about how I would manage nursing Jolie with a busy toddler. I figured he'd have major jealousy issues or wouldn't hold still for long enough for me to. But things have worked out great. James absolutely adores his sister and has yet to show any resentment at all! (Well, one time she was crying pretty hard, and I heard him mumble, "Sister is so annoying." lol. Oops. That must mean I've called him annoying. I thought of getting after him for the negative comment, but then I realized it was true. Listening to crying like that is annoying. So I let it slide. Besides that, though, he generally finds her quite delightful.)

I was taking pictures of James and his messy room. Then I started taking a few of Jolie. James decided he needed to take some himself, on his "phone."
A while later, we were playing in my room (okay, I was checking my blog/email). I laid Jolie on the bed, and soon James joined her. Here he is, giving her kisses...
... and hugs. (Seriously, check out her face! He wasn't being too rowdy or rough, so I didn't stop him. But BOY, she wasn't quite sure what to think of it!)
Ah... all alone. That's better.
Then James discovered the Bumbo chair I had gotten out of storage last night. Jolie is constantly trying to sit up lately (probably to reach her feet; she quite loves them), and I figured she might enjoy sitting in this. Anyway, James thought it was for him and was a little put out when I told him it was for babies. (Though later I let him sit in it while watching Word World, so all was well.)

Jolie wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole thing... until she discovered her glorious right foot! :)

Jolie loves her right foot. Maybe because her right hand is especially coordinated (well, more I should say) and can grab at it especially well. She's a silly girl.

And a good sleeper. Mmm... hooray for getting a good night's sleep. It's been a while. Let's hope it continues! xo

Baby Blessing(s)

{The following is an excerpt from my journal- written 05.02.2010}

I’m a little disgusted with myself. Today was an amazing, fabulous day (today we blessed our little Jolie), and I wanted to journal all about it. But before I began, I thought I’d turn back to see what I’d written about James’ blessing… and THERE WAS NO ENTRY! What??? I couldn’t believe it. I knew I had (and Ashley had- for back up) taken notes during the blessing, but I still never had recorded it all in actuality. Lame. What a mom. Then I flipped through and saw my labor experience journaled (Jolie’s, that is) and decided to peek at what I’d said for James’. NOTHING! I’m pretty majorly freaking out right now. I mean, it’s not like I don’t remember pretty vividly all of those things. I can certainly journal retroactively. But still. So sad. Shame on me!

I try to hard to do a lot with Jolie so that she isn’t screwed by being the second child. I feel guilty in lots of ways that she won’t have as many things that James had. Attention more than things, I guess. He was rarely ignored. His every coo and milestone was superbly celebrated. He was our entire world. Jolie is equally loved and adored, but she is significantly more neglected out of necessity and can only really be half of our world, because James is here too. And while I am feeling guilty and trying so hard to make sure Jolie isn’t overlooked or overshadowed, I have absolutely neglected to document pretty critical moments in my firstborn’s life! Pathetic. I’m seriously disgusted by the whole thing.

So I will double dip. When I document important things in Jolie’s life, I will document (from memory) those in James’. I will try hard to make sure both of my kids are covered, so that when I tell them they are equally loved- they might actually believe it. :)

Now back to today…

Today was amazing. Fabulous. Magical. Really, it was great. I woke up and felt like crap- as per usual, but not worse than usual. Jolie had actually slept really well last night; it’s just that mornings are not my flavor. Regardless, I knew I needed to get going, so I got James some breakfast and even ate some myself. I fed Jolie and talked to my dad.

(Side Note: Dad and Polly drove up for the blessing. They got here yesterday afternoon. It was so great seeing them! James adores them both, and Jolie seems to be on a similar path. We hung out, read books (James and Jolie were totally hooked up- spoiled kids!), ate dinner, put kids to bed, and watched Star Trek. It was an eventful evening. Fun. I’m really glad they came!)

Later than I was supposed to (who’s surprised?), I showered and got ready. Derek got himself ready and then did everything else. Seriously, I am so lucky to have him. He is super-husband, no doubt about it. We got to church just in time.

Another baby was being blessed in our ward today, too, and wow- the place was packed! They had to open up the back for overflow seating. The other family had a lot of visitors, but so did we. So many of our family and friends were there. It made me feel very supported, very loved. Jolie’s blessing was first, for the record, and it was a goodie.

Derek Ray Anderson, Jolie’s father, performed the blessing. Others in the circle were: Bishop Scott Wilcock, Jim Barentine, Shawn Anderson, Kurt Anderson and Jon Ford. I was holding James, but I had asked Ashley and Bonnie to take notes for me. They did a very good, very thorough, job.

Jolie was such a good girl throughout the blessing- and really, throughout the entire day. She looked gorgeous. She is such a beautiful girl, and she looked like an angel in all that white. She wore a pretty, “foofy” dress (I caved; who can blame me?) and had a darling white flower in her hair (or headband, anyway). She was all smiles and very happy all day long. She was the belle of the ball, the star of the party, and she did not disappoint.

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Recap of Sunday, September 2, 2007:

We blessed James on the first Sunday of September, 2007. I’m pretty sure it was the second. We waited to do it until then mostly because we were waiting until my dad (Jim Barentine) could come up from New Mexico and stand in the circle. Dad and Michael drove up to stay the weekend with us, and although nerve-wracking (I tend to be self-conscious, especially when I’m new at things… ie. Mothering), it was wonderful to have them here. It was sweet to have James meet his Uncle Michael, whom he resembles like crazy, and Grandpa Jim, after whom he was named.

James looked super studly in little-man church attire. He wore khaki slacks, a white shirt (onesie) with a collar, and a darling blue tie. It is pretty common (one might say “the norm”) to bless boys in an all-white, fussy suit- sometimes even with tails. I resisted the norm and went with this more practical approach because I thought the whole “foofy” getup was overkill. At the time, I felt that babies were best dressed in as little as possible and should not be clothed as smaller, uncomfortable-versions of adults. My perspective has changed a bit since then, resulting in a good deal of guilt (seeings how his sister got all sorts of dolled up, which seemed to me as preferential treatment), though looking back at pictures I think he looked quite handsome indeed.

Derek Ray Anderson, James’ father, performed the blessing. Others in the circle were: Bishop Ward, Jim Barentine, Shawn Anderson, Kurt Anderson and Jon Ford. Ashley and I jotted down some notes, bullet-style, of the blessing.

It was a wonderful blessing. Derek did especially well considering the fact that James screamed full-throttle the entire time. As soon as the blessing was over and Derek handed him back to me, he burped one big burp and fell immediately asleep. :) Derek and I both bore our testimonies at some point during the meeting, and afterward we held a luncheon at Julie’s house for family and close friends.